State Rep. Cheri Gerou is upset over a robo call sent her to constituents by a fellow Jefferson County Republican lawmaker over a civil-unions bill Gerou plans to support.

Gerou, R-Evergreen, said that Sen. Tim Neville, R-Littleton, in his automated call said she supported a bill “advancing homosexual marriage.” Supporters of Senate Bill 2 say it is not gay marriage, and noted that Coloradans in 2006 passed a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman.

“I left him a message and said, ‘You can send a robo call. That’s fair game. We do that in politics. Just don’t lie to your constituents.'” Gerou said. “That’s what I have problem with. Lying to people is not good public policy.”

Neville said he wasn’t lying and noted the bill contains references to “spousal rights.” He said there’s a “difference of opinion” on what the civil-unions bill does, and he and Gerou don’t agree.

It appears Colorado legislators will be able to take control of two floors of office space at a state building across the street from the Capitol, but they probably shouldn’t expect a fruit-basket welcome from Gov. John Hickenlooper.

In an unusual move, the Democratic governor today wrote lawmakers a letter in which he says he will neither sign nor veto House Bill 1348, the bill taking control of the coveted office space, allowing the legislation to become law by “pocket signing.” Under the state constitution, bills passed by the legislature automatically become law unless they are vetoed.

The bill becomes law a minute after midnight.

In his letter to lawmakers, Hickenlooper says the bill “proceeds without a master plan for maximizing use of the state’s buildings in Denver or for controlling costs across all branches of government in the face of rising leasing expenses.”

A slew of scathing videos have become the focus in the 5th Congressional District’s Republican primary, as both incumbent U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn and challenger Robert Blaha trade barbs through YouTube.

In a video released earlier today, the Lamborn campaign hits Blaha for a grassroots radio interview last month, where the wealthy Colorado Springs businessman is on record as saying that often times he doesn’t vote in primary elections.

“I voted in few primaries because you know … in a nutshell I was busy making a living and raising a family,” said Blaha.

In the video called “Too Busy to Vote,” Blaha goes on to say that about a year ago he “woke up” and realized “the permanent political class has stolen our country.”

Voters cast ballots in Denver during the 2008 election. Colorado's unaffiliated voters are ballooning, while the parties struggle to keep pace.

WASHINGTON — Colorado continues to add hundreds of thousands of unaffiliated voters — while both Republican, and especially Democrat, voter registrations are not keeping pace, according to a study released today.

Colorado, considered a pivotal swing state this fall, has gained almost half a million independent voters just since the 2008 elections, according to a study by Third Way, a left-leaning DC-based think tank.

Third Way analyzed voter registration numbers from 2008 through May 1, 2012. Colorado mirrored trends in seven other swing states that show gigantic gains in unaffiliated independent voters and drops in party registrations both on the Democrat and Republican side, according to the study.

Since 2008, Colorado has added voters in all groups becauses the state’s population is growing. But Democrats have added the fewest voters at 13,497, according to the study. Republicans have added 36,896 voters since 2008. There are more than 130,000 more independent voters now in Colorado compared to 2008, according to the study.

“The ranks of Independents have swelled by nearly half a million,” Third Way said, in a statement. “To win in November, both campaigns will need to woo these voters.”

The USA Today/Gallup Swing States Poll released today shows an effectively even race between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.

Two new polls out this morning show a tight race between President Barack Obama and presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney six months before Election Day.

The USA Today/Gallup Swing States Poll showed Romney and Obama “essentially even among registered voters — Obama 47%, Romney 45% — in the dozen battleground states likely to determine the election’s outcome,” according to a story in USA Today.

Of note: The “gender gap” — the difference in preferences between men and women — has grown from 12 points in February to 20 points this month, with Obama earning majority support from women and Romney majority support from men. Also, the poll shows Democrats with more enthusiasm than Republicans (57 percent of Democrats compared to 46 percent of Republicans say they are “very enthusiastic”) for the first time this election season.

That survey also shows a race that is effectively tied, with Romney holding a one-point edge over Obama, 48 percent to 47 percent.

Interestingly, that poll shows Romney with a 10-point lead among unaffiliated voters and the gender gap narrowing.

The Swing States Poll of 951 registered voters in Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Virginia, North Carolina and Florida was conducted April 26 – May 2 and has a margin of error of 4 percent.

The Battleground Poll of 1,000 likely voters nationwide was conducted April 29- May 2 by the Tarrance Group and Lake Partners and has a margin of error of 3.1 percent.

Joey Bunch has been a reporter for 28 years, including the last 12 at The Denver Post. For various newspapers he has covered the environment, water issues, politics, civil rights, sports and the casino industry.